Coordinator, Field

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest humanitarian network, with 191-member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. IFRC uses the Triple R – response, resilience and respect – to deliver on Strategy 2030. IFRC responds to disasters and crises, ensuring timely, coordinated and locally led humanitarian action. IFRC supports its members in building community resilience in the areas of climate and environment, health and wellbeing, and migration and displacement. IFRC promotes respect for our fundamental principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity, and universality, including in our work on values, power and inclusion. The IFRC focuses throughout on our core mandate – our raison d’être – of strategic and operational coordination, humanitarian diplomacy, National Society development, and accountability.

IFRC is led by its Secretary General and has its Headquarters in Geneva and five regional offices in Africa (Nairobi); the Americas (Panama); Asia Pacific (Kuala Lumpur); Europe (Budapest); and MENA (Beirut) as well as representation offices, service centers and delegations across the globe.

IFRC has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, abuse of authority, discrimination, and lack of integrity (including but not limited to financial misconduct). IFRC also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is responding to an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD), a form of Ebola virus disease, in a complex operating environment characterized by population movement, insecurity, constraints on access to health services and significant risks of continued transmission and geographic spread. The absence of an approved vaccine or specific targeted treatment for the Bundibugyo strain reinforces the importance of early detection, effective infection prevention and control, appropriate clinical and supportive care, safe and dignified burials, and trusted community-based action.

IFRC is supporting the DRC Red Cross to deliver a locally led, community-centred response aligned with national outbreak priorities and coordinated with the Ministry of Health and key technical and humanitarian partners. The response brings together community-based surveillance, risk communication and community engagement, safe and dignified burials, infection prevention and control and WASH, mental health and psychosocial support, clinical care and continuity of essential health services. Through its extensive volunteer and community networks, the DRC Red Cross plays a critical role in strengthening community trust, supporting early detection and referral, promoting protective behaviors and helping communities access timely and appropriate services.

Alongside immediate outbreak control, IFRC's support seeks to strengthen the capacity, systems and operational readiness of the DRC Red Cross and reinforce its auxiliary role to public authorities. The response therefore combines technical and operational support, coordination, surge capacity, resource mobilization and institutional strengthening, while continuously adapting priorities and interventions to the evolving epidemiological, operational and community context. This approach aims not only to contribute to interrupting transmission and reducing the humanitarian impact of BVD, but also to leave stronger National Society and community capacities for future epidemics and health emergencies.

Reporting to the Operations Manager, the Field Coordinator provides field-level operational leadership and coordination of IFRC support to the DRC Red Cross. The Field Coordinator, translates the BVD operational strategy into prioritised, integrated and achievable field plans, coordinating teams, technical support and operational resources to deliver timely, safe and accountable assistance.

Working in close partnership with the DRC Red Cross, the role promotes community participation, strengthens local branch and volunteer capacities, and ensures implementation meets agreed objectives, humanitarian standards and IFRC policies and procedures. The Field Coordinator connects field realities with operational decision-making, identifies and resolves delivery constraints, escalates risks and resource gaps, and supports a coherent transition that sustains DRC RC readiness beyond the immediate response.

The role ensures that community-based surveillance, risk communication and community engagement, safe and dignified burials, infection prevention and control and WASH, mental health and psychosocial support, are planned and delivered as a coherent field response. Working with health technical leads and health-zone authorities, the Field Coordinator aligns operational support with evolving needs, strengthens links between communities and health services, and addresses delivery gaps, while clinical decisions and technical standards remain the responsibility of qualified specialists and competent health authorities.

Lead field delivery and strengthen operational accountability

• Translate the agreed operational strategy into joint field plans with DRC Red Cross counterparts, defining priorities, responsibilities, timelines, resource requirements and measurable results across design, implementation, monitoring, reporting and transition.
• Align field plans with DRC Red Cross priorities, capacities and longer-term development objectives. Guide staff and volunteers to deliver activities against agreed humanitarian standards, IFRC procedures and operational commitments, adapting plans jointly as needs evolve.
• Coordinate integrated delivery across the response pillars, securing timely specialist support and resolving gaps between technical teams and support services. Guide direct reports through clear objectives, regular follow-up and practical problem-solving, while respecting technical responsibilities.
• Serve as the principal field-level link between the DRC Red Cross and IFRC. Jointly analyse epidemiological developments, humanitarian needs, community feedback, access and security conditions; recommend operational adjustments and promptly escalate significant risks, unmet needs and decisions beyond delegated authority.
• Provide timely, accurate operational reporting on agreed indicators, coverage, delivery constraints and resource use. Verify field data with relevant teams, monitor progress through field visits and reviews, and track corrective actions and lessons to improve programme quality.
• Implement applicable security and duty-of-care arrangements with designated security and health focal points. Ensure field teams understand movement, incident-reporting and occupational safety requirements, monitor compliance, and promptly escalate incidents and concerns affecting staff and volunteer safety or wellbeing.
• Coordinate field finance, administration and logistics requirements with responsible IFRC functions, acting as focal point as assigned. Anticipate staffing, procurement, transport and supply needs; monitor expenditure against approved plans; and ensure timely documentation and follow-up within delegated authority and established controls.

Coordinate integrated health and outbreak-response activities

• Jointly prioritize health activities with DRC Red Cross counterparts, health technical leads and health-zone authorities, using epidemiological information, service gaps and community feedback to determine geographical coverage, team deployment and operational support needs. Maintain a shared overview of activities and regularly review gaps and overlaps with partners.
• Support community-based surveillance by ensuring trained volunteers have supervision, communication tools and clear links to designated health-authority alert and referral mechanisms. Follow up operational barriers to timely alert reporting and referral, and coordinate any agreed contact-tracing support under health-authority leadership, with appropriate confidentiality and data protection.
• Integrate risk communication and community engagement into all health activities. Support teams to use technically validated, locally appropriate information, engage trusted community actors, and analyse feedback, rumours and barriers to service use so that response approaches are adapted with communities rather than delivered as stand-alone messaging.
• Coordinate operational readiness for safe and dignified burial activities within the agreed DRC Red Cross mandate, ensuring trained teams, supervision, transport, supplies and communication with health authorities and families. Work with technical leads to address safety, dignity and community-acceptance concerns and escalate constraints affecting timely service delivery.

• Coordinate agreed infection prevention and control and WASH support in communities and supported health facilities, linking technical assessments to resourced action plans, training, supplies and follow-up. Ensure specialist oversight of protective equipment, water and hygiene arrangements, cleaning and waste-management activities, and escalate unresolved readiness or safety gaps.
• Integrate mental health and psychosocial support into field plans for affected people, families, staff and volunteers. Secure specialist guidance, appropriate training and referral arrangements, and coordinate community engagement to address stigma and barriers to reintegration and access to support.
• Review health-response coverage, alert and referral timeliness, team readiness, supply availability and community feedback with technical leads. Use joint field visits and agreed indicators to identify corrective actions, strengthen volunteer supervision and preparedness capacities, and inform operational adjustments and handover to DRC Red Cross and local health structures.

Strengthen coordination, local leadership and community accountability

• Implement the operation’s Membership Coordination Framework at field level, supporting DRC Red Cross leadership, joint planning, transparent information sharing and complementary contributions from participating National Societies and IFRC-supported teams.
• Support the DRC Red Cross to engage effectively with health authorities and humanitarian coordination mechanisms. Represent IFRC as delegated and in alignment with the National Society, promoting coherent priorities, clearly agreed responsibilities and practical follow-up with partners.
• Maintain structured communication with the Operations Manager, National Society counterparts and relevant technical focal points, translating coordination outcomes into assigned actions and providing field analysis to inform country-level priorities, resource allocation and contingency planning.
• Connect operational, technical and partner coordination to ensure an integrated field response:

1. 1. Coordinate field activities with communities, local actors, participating National Societies, Emergency Response Units where deployed, and rapid response personnel, clarifying coverage and responsibilities to address gaps and avoid duplication.
   2. Review the relevance, feasibility and quality of planned interventions with technical leads and National Society counterparts; resolve cross-team bottlenecks and escalate issues requiring specialist guidance or management decisions.
   3. Facilitate links with government, UN and NGO partners to address identified operational needs and connect relevant resources and expertise to National Society teams. Collaborate with other Field Coordinators to align approaches and maintain continuity across geographical areas.

• Agree practical capacity-strengthening priorities with local DRC Red Cross branches, combining mentoring, joint delivery and learning for staff and volunteers. Embed community participation in planning and review, and prepare transition and handover arrangements that retain skills, systems and readiness beyond the operation.
• Uphold accountability to affected communities through accessible information, inclusive participation and functioning feedback and complaints mechanisms. Ensure concerns inform operational decisions and are referred appropriately, while maintaining safeguarding, confidentiality, responsible resource use and compliance with relevant policies and procedures

• Relevant university degree or equivalent qualifications with a relevant field. Required
• Basic Delegates Training Course (BTC) or IMPACT or equivalent knowledge. Required
• IMPACT or equivalent knowledge. Preferred

• At least 3 - 5 years of work experience for the RC/RC or for another humanitarian relief organization coordinating emergency and/or relief operations. Required
• Field experience within the RC/RC. Preferred
• Experience in managing programs and projects including planning, monitoring and guiding implementation, budget development and management of significant field-based projects, reporting and technical advice and guidance. Required
• Experience in field intervention, volunteer management, mentoring and capacity building, training project staff and working with vulnerable populations. Required
• Experience and knowledge in the regional context. Required

• Ability to work under pressure and manage a team in high stress environment in an emergency context. Required
• Ability to conduct rapid assessment, baseline, and satisfaction survey assessment. Preferred
• Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in a cross-cultural and cross-functional environment as well as to communicate in such environment. Required
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work well as part of a multi-disciplinary team. Required
• Good analytical skills and solution focused person. Required
• Demonstrated core proficiency in (a) digital communication & collaboration, (b) basic digital content creation, (c) digital safety & security, (d) data literacy, and (e) problem solving with technology (including responsible use of AI assistants). Required
• Understanding of and commitment to IFRC’s mission and values. Required

Languages:

• Fluent spoken and written English and French

• Core competencies: Communications, Collaboration & Teamwork, Judgement & Decision, National Society & Customer Relations, Creativity & Innovation, Building Trust
• Values: Respect for Diversity, Integrity, Professionalism, Accountability,